1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic filing system.
2. Related Background Art
In a conventional information memory device having an information retrieving function, in the case of registering image information, the operator opens a lid which covers an original glass plate, puts an original onto the original glass plate, closes the lid, and pushes a photographing start key.
Thus, the photographing operation is started the original is read, and the read image information is registered to an optical disc or the like.
In the case of retrieving the image information, the information is retrieved by using retrieval information such as a file name of the information stored, a key word corresponding to the storage content, and the like.
In the above conventional example, in the case of registering the image information of a plurality of originals, the above operation is repeatedly executed a number of times corresponding to the number of originals.
That is, the operator opens the lid which covers the original glass plate, takes out the first original, puts the second original onto the glass plate, closes the lid, and pushes the photographing start key. Thus, the photographing operation is started, the original is read, and the read image information is registered to the optical disc or the like. Then, the operator again opens the lid which covers the original glass plate, takes out the second original, puts the third original onto the glass plate, closes the lid, and pushes the photographing start key. Thus, the photographing operation is started, the original is read, and the read image information is registered to the optical disc or the like. Such a conventional photographing method is called a "single-frame photographing mode".
In the single-frame photographing mode, it is necessary to execute the opening and closing operations of the lid and the pushing operation of the photographing start key every original, so that the registering operations are extremely complicated. That is, the conventional apparatus has a problem such that the operations to register a plurality of image information are complicated.
To solve the above problems, it is preferable to continuously convey a plurality of originals set on an original setting plate to the original glass plate one by one and to execute the continuous paper feed mode for photographing. However, such a method is unsuitable in the case of checking a plurality of originals to be photographed one by one and, thereafter, photographing them. In a case when originals having different sizes such as A4, B5, and the like are hand only arranged and are photographed, there is a problem such that when the originals are put onto the original setting plate, the operation to align the originals is troublesome.
On the other hand, a method whereby both of the continuous paper feed mode and the single-frame photographing mode mentioned above are provided and either one of those modes can be selected is considered. However, in this case, it is necessary to execute the complicated registering operation as described above in the single-frame photographing mode, so that the problem such that the operation to register a plurality of image information is complicated still remains.
To solve the above problems, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,222 and in application Ser. Nos. 478250, 477470, and the like, there is considered a method of selecting either one of the manual paper feed mode to feed and read the original paper each time the original which was inserted into a predetermined original inserting section is detected and the above continuous paper feed mode.
However, if the above method is used, in the case when the original is photographed in the manual mode during the operation in the continuous paper feed mode and the photographed images obtained in both of the two modes are stored into one file, it is necessary to once finish the continuous mode. Therefore, if one file is finished at that time point and, thereafter, when the photographing operation is started in the manual mode, another file is also formed with respect to the manual mode. To combine the file obtained by the continuous mode and the file derived by the manual mode into a single file, it is necessary to select the write-once mode and search a file to be written after the recording and write the image information once. As mentioned above, there is a problem such that the operation to combine the image which was photographed in the continuous mode and the image which was photographed in the manual mode into a single file is complicated.